Bracket rod mounting



Nov. 6,1951 ELD 2,574,073

BRACKEI R-OD' MOUNTING Filed Feb. 14, 1949 '1 ANTHONY'VANDERVQDI FIG-.45

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 6, 1951 signor'to GrandRapids Store EquipmentComapany, Grand Rapids, Mich., -a corporation of Michigan ApplicationFbruary 14, 1949, Serial N 0.76322 This inventionrelates to a mounting for hori- -zonta1 rods, which "in practice are carried -on "and-extend between the'outer and free end portions of suitable bracket supports, the rods being used generally in connection with store furniture for the placing thereon of garment hangers fromwhich-garments may be-suspended, fordisplay 'and'ready access "thereto and removal thereof from the supporting 'rods.

Such horizontal rods-may be located in-direct horizonal alignment adjacent the-outer or open sides of display cabinets or cases, orlo'cated in front -of and spaced from the vertical posts of supporting racks, forwardly extending bracket arms -to carry the 'endsof the rods being permanently I or adjustably mourited -upon such supporting posts or upon equivalent means in cabinets to which 'the'inner or rear ends of the brackets are connected. In other instances, particularly in modern design of-store furniture in stores, the cases or cabinets :or racks may not be located in direct alignment but successive "cases :disposed at varying angles, :other than a straight-angle, to each other. The garment hold- -ing rods para'lleling the backs of the display cases or racks wilLlikevsiise besuccessivelyv located I ratsubstantiallyrlike.angles to .each other. .The

adjacent ends .of twozsuccessive .rods in practice "are carried by the :same vforwardly extending -:bracket.

.11; is :a primary vobject and "purpose of the :present invention to provide .a :fixture'mounted tontthe router .end portion of a bracket which is acapa'ble of gripping :the adjacent end portions of atwo 1 ofasuch garment hanging :rods and secure- -l-y holding "them in any .of :the relative angular .;positions of onerod tothe other that they may take. It .a 'further object and purpose to provide such fixtures or'mounting for the rods which is of a practical, economically produced .lform, is readily adjustedto a desired position on "the bracket arm so as'to position garment'hanger "carrying "rods when attached therewith at difiererit distances from the back of a display case or racklto securely connect the mounting fixture "at'anyselected position onthe bracket arm, and

"for readilyreleasing agarm'enthanging rod when wanted, or'for connecting one thereto;

*ItisJa'further object and purpose dithepresent invention to "provide such mounting fixture fwhereby with it and 'by using it, the garment hanging rods whichgenerally are of an elongated tubularformmequire no special machining at or adjacent their ends but'may be merely cut to length; and -with-a large-"tolerance -with respect 6 Claims. Cl. 248-251) to the length of a rod, or the lengths of different rods, thus reducing fabricating cost which has had to be met in previous installations oi the rods.

An understanding -of the invention for the accomplishment of the ends stated, and nthers not at this time enumerated, may be had i-rom the following description, takenin "connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. -1 is an elevation, showingthe rod :mounting fixture connected at the outer end -portion of a bracket arm, and illustrating -a rod associated and connected therewith.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, showing two successive rods angularly disposed to each other andlindieating positions thereof at extremesof angular movement.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectionsubstantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction indicated. 1

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section, substantially on the plane .of line 11- 4 of Fig. 3, taken looking in the directioniindicated.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in thedifferent figures --of :the drawing.

The bracket arm 1, made generally from :flat metal, maybe of the-detachable-and adjustable type illustrated or, so far as the present invention is concerned, maybe one -which w hen once assembled in a display case 'or a rack "support, will remain permanently in its assembledlocation. At its outer end its upper and lower edges for a distance preferably are substantiallypar-allel. It is with-the 'outerend portion of thesupporting bracket arm that two of the garment hanging rods 2 usually of a hollowtubular 'cylindrical form, are adapted to'be-operatively connected in any of the positions between -anextreme position shown-in full lines in" Fig. 2, and an opposite extreme angular position indicated in dash lines. It 'is to be understood that all positions between the two 'extremesmay be occupied by either of said-rods, the half-way -position between the two extremes placing "the two rods substantially in longitudinally alignment.

The mounting fixture consists generally of two parts, each made of flat metal, one of which preferably will be the upper part of the "fixture,

though the fixture, shown in Fig. 1 maybe -re- V versed in position, including a generally horizontal upperside 3,-from which a generally ver- 'tical downwardly extending extension 4 isbent,

outer end portion of the arm I to pass freely therethrough. From the side edges of the upper side 3, spaced vertical sides 6 extend downwardly, each at its lower edge portion being formed with a concave recess I, generally of arc shape but of a different and larger radius of curvature than the outside radius of curvature of the rod 2 which the mounting fixture is to carry. The sides 6 are of less length than the top 3, and at their inner or rear edges may be downwardly and forwardly inclined, as shown at 8, leaving a projecting section of the top 3 extending back thereof.

The lower member of the mounting fixture has a horizontal bottom 9 from which, at the front end, a section ID is turned upwardly substantially at right angles, and has a vertical slot II therein substantially in height equal to the vertical height of the outer arm of the bracket I and of the same width as the previously described slot 5. At the inner or rear end of the bottom 9,

asecond section I2 is bent to extend upwardly at right. angles, it having an aligned vertical slot I3 therein of the same width and of a slightly greater length than slot I I. At the upper end of -Each side I5 is formed with a downwardly cut or otherwise produced concave recess I6, the radius of curvature of which likewise is somewhat greater than the exterior radius of curvature of the rod 2. The edge portions of the sides I5 opposite the inclined edges 8 of the previously described sides 6 of the first mounting member are likewise inclined at generally the same angle of inclination as the angles at 8, as shown at ll.

The two members of the mounting fixture, in use are placed upon the outer free end portion of the bracket arm I, said arm passing first through the slot I3, thence through the slot II. The lower member is thenheld on the bracket arm I, and may be moved thereon to any desired position. The upper member is then located over the lower member, arm I passing through slot 5. The sides 6 and I5 of the two members of the fixture occupy the same vertical planes. The upturned section II) is immediately back of the downwardly extending section 4, and the horizontal terminal lip I4 is under the projecting or rear end portion of the top 3. Screws I3 pass .through the top extension and are threaded 2 inserted in the openings which are left in the sides by the upper and lower recesses at I and I6 in the lower and upper sides respectively of the sides 6 and I5 of the two members of the fixtures. On tightening the screws the sides 5 and I5, at or adjacent the bottoms of the recesses 'I- and I6, bite into the tubular rods 2 at substantially opposite upper and lower portions thereof, such bite for all practical purposes, permanently securing the rods at theirinserted ends against displacement. Nevertheless there is no interference with swinging movement of a rod or both of them to the different angular positions from one extreme to the other, and all others in between. The lower edge of the bracket arm I will vcessful and satisfactory character.

4 come against the metal of the section 4 at the lower end of the slot 5, the bottom 9 of the lower member will lie snugly against the under edge of the bracket arm I, and the upper edge of the bracket arm I will be against the upper end of the slot II. The mounting fixture is thus securely connected with the bracket arm, and held against accidental or other change of position. resisting all normal forces which would tend to cause a change in position.

It is evident that the hanger rods 2 may be cut as to length so as to bridge between a mounting fixture carried on one bracket arm and a second like fixture on a second bracket arm spaced therefrom, as for example when two of the bracket arms I are at opposite ends of a display case. The rods will be engaged and securely held even when roughly cut to length, as there is a large tolerance provided by the space between the sides of a bracket arm I and the sides 6 and I5 of the mounting fixtures which parallel the arm. Therefore, a hanger rod is provided by merely cutting a length of the tubular material transversely across at a length which may vary according to a tolerance of a sixteenth or eighth of an inch, instead of thousandths of an inch.

The invention is of a practical, useful and suc- The claims appended hereto define the invention which is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a construction as described, a bracket arm, a rod mounting comprising, upper and lower members each slidably mounted on said bracket, said members having spaced sides at opposite sides of the bracket arm located in the same planes and having cooperative recesses in sides thereof providing two openings one at each side of the bracket arm, each adapted to receive the end of a rod, part of said rod receiving recesses being in one member and part in the other, and

,manually operable means for drawing said members toward each other, to clamp at such recesses, against the rods and for securing said members against movement on said bracket arm.

each having a slot therethrough through .which the arm passes, and sides extending upwardly one at each side of the bottom, each of said sides at its upper edge having a concave recess therein, a second member having a top, a downwardly extending section at the outer end thereof having a slot therethrough, through which the bracket .arm passes, and sides extending downwardly one at each edge of said top in the same plane as the ,sides of the lower member, each of said sides having inverted concave recesses over the recesses in the sides of the lower member, the inner end section of the lower member having a lip at its upper edge extending under the top of the upper member, and screws passing through said top and threading through-said lip for drawing said lipand top together or releasing them for sepsecured infixed position on the bracket arm on tightening said screws.

I 3. A structure as defined in claim}, said recessed portions each having a radius of curvature greater than the exterior radius of curvature of a rod to be received therein, whereby said a rod may be adjusted to different angular positions with respect to the bracket arm and held against disconnection in such positions.

4. In a structure of the class described, a bracket arm, a fixture slidably mounted on said bracket arm having sides parallel to the bracket arm and spaced outwardly therefrom one at each side of the arm, said fixture having passages therethrough at its ends for the arm to slidably extend through the passages, and said sides or the fixture having rod receiving recesses for the entrance of one end of a rod therein, and manually operable means for simultaneously clamping said fixture to a rod or rods inserted through the recesses of either one or both of said sides, and for securing the fixture to the bracket arm against movement relative thereto.

5. In a structure as described, a bracket arm, a fixture thereon comprising, upper and lower parts, each of said parts of said fixture having openings for slidable passing of the arm therethrough, said parts of said fixture providing vertical sides, one at each side of the bracket arm and spaced therefrom, each of said sides having a rod receiving opening therein, and means for adjustably connecting said parts of the fixture together, said means being adapted for manual operation for releasably securing the fixture against movement on said arm and for decreasing the size of said rod receiving openings, to thereby grip a rod, having an end portion entered into an opening, at substantially diametrically opposed upper and lower sides thereof.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5, said parts of the fixture being mounted on the bracket arm one over the other and said manually operable means for releasably securing the fixture to the bracket arm and clamping rods at the ends thereof at the sides of the fixture comprising, screws adjustably connecting said parts of the fixture at the inner portions thereof.

ANTHONY VANDERVELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,869,281 Rumpf et al July 26, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 581,351 Germany Aug. 14, 1933 

